By Ray Hamill — There was a lot to like about the Ferndale Wildcats’ performance on Friday night, as they continued to showcase why they could very well be the best team on the North Coast right now ahead of a mouthwatering showdown next weekend.
The Cats traveled to the Redwood Bowl to take on the Eureka Loggers and dominated the larger school, winning 48-12.
With the win, they improved to 4-0 as they get set for a trip to take on the only other undefeated team in the H-DNL, the St. Bernard’s Crusaders (4-0), in a game every North Coast fan will want to see next weekend.
After turning the ball over on downs on their opening possession on Friday, the Cats would score touchdowns on seven of their final eight drives of the night, including four TDS in the second quarter to take control before halftime.
But that first drive helped to set the tone for the night.
“I thought we did a pretty good job offensively, coming out and setting a physical tempo,” Ferndale head coach Clint McClurg said. “I like the physical tone we set on offense on that first drive.”
And that began with the play of the offensive line — a unit that includes Angel Zaragoza (left tackle), Ruben Peredia (left guard), Greyson Mathews (center), Mason Garrett (right guard) and Obadiah Gobel (right tackle) — as well as physical tight end Luke Dixon.
“He’s a real extension of the line,” McClurg said of the tight end. “The down blocking by Dixon was devastating.”
The play in the trenches allowed the Ferndale skill position players to do what they do best, and they did not disappoint.
Junior Preston Killingsworth had another huge night, rushing for three TDs and bringing his tally to seven over the past two games, while senior Garyn McClurg scored the first two TDs of the night, one from 42 yards out and one from 41.
The hard-running McClurg finished the night with 207 yards on 15 carries.
“I think he’s running extremely well,” father and head coach Clint said of Garyn. “He’s running aggressive, he’s breaking tackles, it was just an outstanding performance.”
Killingsworth too is having a huge impact this year, and those two, along with Liam “Big Play” Bishop, and junior Cash Mobley give the Cats a deep offensive backfield right now.
“Killingsworth, he’s pretty slippery and he has a nose for the end zone,” Clint McClurg said. “And it’s a pretty contagious situation that we have going. We feed off each other.”
Despite not finding the end zone in the win, Bishop had what was arguably the play of the game.
A 54-yard completion by Eureka quarterback Ben Klein to Bryson Burns appeared to going for a TD early in the second quarter, but Bishop refused to give up on the play and made a TD-saving tackle at the goal line.
Four plays later, the Loggers turned the ball over on downs — at the Ferndale 25-yard line — a stand that would not have been possible but for Bishop’s perseverance.
“That was an outstanding effort,” Clint McClurg said. “And that kind of effort leads to great things for our team. That was an outstanding X factor play.”
Check out the play above …
Another key play on the path to victory was Christian Enriquez’s pick six with 1:14 remaining in the opening half.
The senior cornerback intercepted the ball at the Eureka 47 and returned it untouched behind a wall of “Wildcat White” all the way to the end zone.
Technically it was a “pick seven” considering Enriquez also made the PAT, and it put the visitors up 27-0 going into halftime, essentially ending the game a contest.
It also sparked big celebrations by the Ferndale players, who clearly relished seeing their teammate score.
“I felt that gave us a lot of confidence going into the second half,” Clint McClurg said. “That was a big-time moment for the squad.”
Among the other standouts for the Cats, Zaragoza continues to lead the way on both lines and is “playing at a really high level,” according to his coach, while linebacker George Bibby has been on fire since returning to the lineup last week after missing the first two games through injury.
He had a first-half fumble recovery that led to Killingsworth’s first TD of the game and added a late interception to ice the win on Eureka’s final drive of the night.
The Cats will now turn their attention to an old rival, St. Bernard’s, and a game that can’t come soon enough for H-DNL fans.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete,” Clint McClurg said. “We’re expecting an outstanding performance from them.”
